EXCLUSIVE: 'Big Brother's Paulie Calafiore Reveals He Proposed to Another Woman Before Dating Zakiyah Everette
During their time in the Big Brother house this past season, houseguests Paulie Calafiore and Zakiyah Everette struck up a showmance that Calafiore says has a chance to continue even now that the season has come to a close.
"I know I definitely have plans to see Zakiyah and I definitely wanna take it step by step," the 27-year-old DJ told ET's Brice Sander on Wednesday. "I think that's what everyone is looking to do."
Calafiore and Everette weren't the only ones to find romance during the course of their 99-day stay in the house. Houseguests James Huling and Natalie Negrotti hit it off pretty strong, as did Corey Brooks and season 18 winner Nicole Franzel.
WATCH: Showmance Alert! New 'Big Brother' Cast Have Their Eye on Love
According to Calafiore, a real-life love connection is possible for any of the on-screen partners, explaining, "I think everyone has an equal chance because everyone went into it with a good mindset."
Calafiore also "set the record straight" regarding recent rumors that he was actually engaged to another woman before he ever went into the house.
"I was not engaged. I did propose to a woman before I went into the house, [but] she said no," he shared. "[It was] definitely something that was on my mind a lot of the game but I couldn't let it distract me."
"If she said no before the game, she's definitely gonna still say no outside of the game," Calafiore said of his ex. "I got enough respect for Zakiyah to give her what I need to give her in terms of dating her."
WATCH: 'Big Brother' Season 18 Crowns a Winner -- Find Out Who Took Home the Grand Prize!
After Wednesday's season 18 finale, ET also caught up with Big Brother host Julie Chen who opened up about Franzel's big victory over Paul Abrahamian, and how it was refreshing for the final two competitors to be so evenly matched.
"That was a dream come true, as a Big Brother fanatic, to have two gamers in it where it truly is a tough decision who deserves it more," Chen said. "And that speaks volumes about Paul… He stayed true to his word that he took the person that deserved it more even if it was gonna cost him the game."
Franzel ended up winning the $500,000 grand prize by an incredibly close vote of 5-4, becoming the first woman to ever win Big Brother when facing off against a man in the final two.
"She deserved it," Chen shared. "They were both deserving to be in that final two [but] ultimately she handled the questions from the jury better than Paul, so it shows you final statements count and how you handle those hard, tough questions also counts."
WATCH: Julie Chen Gives Us a Tour of the New 'Big Brother 18' House!
For more on the super-close season finale, check out the video below.
Big Brother: Over The Top, the new digital edition of Big Brother, begins streaming live on Wednesday, September 28, on the network’s SVOD and live-streaming service, CBS All Access.
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